I've just seen that and there are some great bargains.

It can be done, but there's a real cost in time to do so. Imatest is the means by which we prepare our resolution graphs.

Mint lenses are the best option as they have a better chance of being in good condition, but also a real lemon would probably stand out as such and need another sample to make sure.

John K, we could sort something out I'm sure but as you say let's see if something more local turns up first.

Over on EPZ, and copied onto PU when relevant, I have started doing occasional "mini reviews" and "classic reviews" of lenses. It's still experimental and happening as the time and available lenses makes possible, but the objective is to run the optics through Imatest and give them a quick try out.

If anyone has anything interesting in M42 mount, K mount, EOS mount, Nikon F mount or MFT that they wouldn't mind lending me for a couple of weeks, please send me a PM. If you're located around Manchester/the North West that would avoid any shipping costs/risks.

Of particular interest at the moment would be the Helios 58mm f/2.

C41 process is exacting and high temperature, best left to the machines.

Black and white processing is an art form in itself as we choose the film, the developer, the dilution of the developer, the temperature, the ISO used.......for example, the results from Neofin Blue would be very different to the results from D-76 (ID-11).

However, start with a fine grain developer at 20C and perfect the technique, and then move onwards if desired. The results should be better than most lab processing.

We've seen the consequences of using Windows XP and how the NHS fell foul of those consequences. I'm afraid there comes a time when we have to upgrade to newer software that's supported. Soon there will be new programs that won't run on XP anyway, just as Windows Vista has now slipped into antiquity.

I would bite the bullet and go W10 and enjoy its new facilities.

You might be better off asking an art appreciation forum, I presume there is one somewhere. However, photography is art as well, so maybe somebody on here can surprise us.

Very often with repairs the labour part of the quote adds most of the pain, because the technician is an expensive person to employ and therefore his time is expensive. The shutter button is connected to a circuit board, so there may lie the issue.

Why not pay for PU Plus and then get your 20% on servicing at the official repair house, JPS.

https://www.pentaxuser.com/discounts

I counted up all the available lenses recently and there are currently over 40 Pentax lenses in the market. That's the same as there were in the heyday of the ME Super.

Looking at other marques, yes, Nikon and Canon have more, but unless we have a really specialist need for something then it's all academic. The exotic lenses are out of my price range anyway.

The lenses that I might be tempted by, including interesting ones from Irix and Samyang, are within range and available in Pentax fit.

A lot of Canon lenses do not come supplied with a lens hood, so that may not be too surprising.

Just a note about SD cards as I noticed that some of us are using them as archive copies. Unfortunately they are not permanent and if unused for a long time may become unreadable. So not the best medium for archiving purposes.